


11. "The fallen hero"

by T_Hurricane



Series: Voltron: Stories of Klance (Fan Fiction Library: Challenge #1) [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath, Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Blades, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Burns, Electrocution, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Exposition, Fan Fiction Library - Challenge, Fear, Fear of Death, Flashbacks, Gen, Guilt, Healing, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, Missions, Missions Gone Wrong, Pain, Psychological Trauma, Rescue, Rescue Missions, Sad with a Happy Ending, Stabbing, Torture, Trauma, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29927805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Hurricane/pseuds/T_Hurricane
Summary: 16 days.He had been missing for 16 days.And even though the team finally found and rescued him - it's not fully over yet.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Voltron: Stories of Klance (Fan Fiction Library: Challenge #1) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175054
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41
Collections: Fan Fiction Library (Discord) Challenge #1: 20 Prompts





	11. "The fallen hero"

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> For the 11th prompt of the writing challenge hosted on my Discord server, the [Fan Fiction Library](https://discord.gg/RuSjgxC68t): 
> 
> "The fallen hero"
> 
> I have experimented with a bit of a different style with this one - I hope you like it!

„We have him. We have him“ Lance‘s sobs could he heard through the comms in the Castle. 

„We have him“ he repeated over and over. 

"I have a pod ready. How... How bad is it?“ Coran answered Lance‘s status update. 

The only answer from Lance were more inaudible sobs. 

„B-Bad“ Shiro answered with a broken voice. 

„We‘re at the lions, will be at the Castle in a few doboshes“ Hunk shakily voiced over the comms.

„Affirmative. We‘ll meet you at the hangar of the Yellow Lion“ Allura said, forcing her voice not to shake. 

They had all hoped to finally find him at that... exposition.

Shiro, Hunk, Lance, Coran, Pidge and she had been searching for him non-stop and around the clock. Any moment Lance didn’t force the others to sleep at least a few hours or where they had to aid as Voltron were spent looking for their teammate.

Allura still saw the hurt in Kolivan‘s eyes when he video-messaged them that Keith hadn‘t returned from one of his missions. They were all beyond worried immediately, but their fear only got worse when Kolivan reported that the Blade that had accompanied Keith had been found dead.

Slaughtered, to be exact, while Keith seemed to have completely vanished.

Keith had been missing for a day when Kolivan alerted them. They had started their search immediately, going after every lead - after any lead they could get their hands on - and now, finally, 16 days after Kolivan‘s message, they had apparently found him. 

„Almost there“ Hunk said. 

„I have a visual on the Castle, coming up to land now“ he added after a short while. 

Allura and Coran arrived in the hangar the moment Hunk landed Yellow. 

The Lion‘s maw opened, and Shiro, Lance and Pidge came sprinting out of the Lion. 

Shiro was carrying someone - and if Allura and Coran hand‘t known that it was Keith, they wouldn‘t have believed it. 

Keith was extremely thin and covered with dirt and blood. He was naked except for what appeared to be some sort of underwear, and his whole body was littered with cuts, bruises, burns and other wounds of all sorts.

Some looked like they were inflicted with a whip, others like he had been electrocuted, others as if he had been stabbed.

„Oh no“ Coran stated silently, barely loud enough that Allura could hear him. 

„We must hurry, come“ Coran then said loudly and Shiro didn‘t hesitate one second. Allura went to go after them, but Lance‘s broken call stopped her. 

„Allura“ he called out and looked at her with tear filled eyes. 

„What is ist, Lance?“ she asked gently and went up to where he and Pidge were standing on the floor of the hangar as if glued there. 

„There... There is one more. He... We rescued him, too. But he didn‘t make it. He‘s still in the Lion. We found him at the same place where we found Keith“ Pidge said after Lance didn‘t seen to be able to answer. 

„His wounds were too grave... We thought we could save him, he was the only one besides Keith who w-was still... still al-alive“ Lance then added and put a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle a sob. 

Hunk, who had just exited his Lion with shaky steps ran up to him the moment he saw how Lance collapsed to his knees. 

Pidge and Allura were immediately at his side, too, and Lance let himself be cradled by them, crying tears until he had no more left to cry.

„It could have been him. It could have been Keith“ he only sobbed with a broken voice and with his eyes fixed to a point in the far distance.

„You should rest, too. You have barely slept the past two weeks“ Pidge gently said.

„You forced us to get enough sleep to function, but you couldn‘t, right?“ Allura said gently snd received a resigned nod from Lance. 

„Hunk, Pidge. Please accompany Lance to the infirmary. I will join you shortly“ she then said, squeezed Lance’s shoulder in reassurance and entered the Lion. 

She doubted that she wouldn’t have nightmares of this day as soon as she saw the body of the man. 

The man was covered by a a blanket and laying on the ground. When she lifted the blanket, she found that he was littered in wounds, burns and bruises just like Keith’s, but that the body was also soaking wet, as if the man had been pulled out of a pool or housed down. 

„I’m sorry“ she whispered, closed her eyes and lifted her hands over the man’s chest and head. 

„I know that we may not share the same culture, but let me guide your soul to peace“ she said and performed an old Altean ritual that has been practiced since many generations in honor of the dead. 

She then wrapped the body up in the blankets and carefully scooped him up to carry him outside. 

Allura placed the body on the stretcher that Coran had brought along for Keith, but since Shiro had carried him hadn’t been needed. 

She rolled the stretcher into a stasis chamber and activated a cryo sequence. 

They would decide over a funeral later. 

Then, she hurried to the infirmary. 

„Princess, there you are“ Coran greeted her as soon as she entered. 

„Coran, tell me - is he… will he be alright?“ she asked hesitantly and stepped to a corner of the room with Coran. 

„He will live. His body shows strains of torture, grave malnutrition, extreme blood loss and complete exhaustion. We have placed him in a pod, but he will be unconscious when he comes out. The wounds may be healed then, but he still needs a lot of fluids and sleep before he will wake up“ Coran gently explained. 

„The others?“ Allura said after a small sigh. 

She was relieved that Keith would be able to recover - but the horrors he must have been through troubled her. 

„Tired. Just like we all are. I commanded them to go to their rooms and sleep, but they refused. I think Hunk has coaxed them all into the lounge, but Lance still won’t go“ Coran said defeatedly and pointed to the now Red Paladin waiting in front of Keith’s pod.

„I will take care of it. Thank you Coran, you should join the others or get some sleep, too. I will stand watch and inform Kolivan“ Allura said. 

With little protest, Coran listened and headed towards the others. 

„Lance“ Allura said gently and sat down near the boy who was kneeling in front of Keith’s pod. 

„We should have never let him go. We should have never let him leave us. If he wouldn’t have gone, if we wouldn’t have let him go, this would never have happened. He would never have ended up at that… place“ Lance said, his voice hoarse and his lips and hands trembling. 

„I could have protected him“ he said and finally looked up at her. 

The look in his eyes almost broke her heart. It was full of defeat, regret and guilt. 

„Lance… I know that it’s hard for you, but please - you need to rest. He will recover, and he wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up so much right now. Please rest. He will be in the pod for a few days, so you won’t miss it when he wakes up“ she gently said. 

Lance nodded hesitantly. 

„Okay. Can I stay here, though?“ he asked and she nodded. 

Allura helped him up and onto one of the cots. He laid down facing the pod Keith rested in, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open for long. 

Allura gently placed a blanket on him, checked on Keith’s pod and then went to the bridge to contact Kolivan. 

„Princess. Have you any news of Keith?“ he greeted her, immediately getting to the point.

Allura could see how hard it was for the man to uphold a neutral face and voice. 

„We found him, he is currently resting in a healing pod. He… he is severely injured, exhausted and also malnourished“ Allura said. 

„I am very relieved to hear about this“ Kolivan said, and for a brief moment his face actually relaxed into an expression of relieve and gratitude. 

„Do you know anything about where Keith was found?“ he added.

„I still need to hear the Paladin’s report on the matter, but they need to rest first. We all do, in fact. But what I can tell so far - he wasn’t the only one held captive there. It was some sort of exposition where he had been kept in some cage like in a morbid zoo. The Paladins found another man who unfortunately died on the way here. From what I could see, he was part Galran. Shiro mentioned that many of the dead shared Galran features as well. Do you think it has anything to do with the whole cause?“ Allura asked the leader of the Blades. 

„I don’t know. We should wait for you to rest up and then hear the Paladins report before we draw any conclusions. Thank you, Princess“ Kolivan said, and Allura understood the true meaning behind his words. 

„I will keep you informed. Thank you, Kolivan“ Allura said and ended the call. 

She sighed heavily. Then, she turned to go to the others, smiling at finding them all - including Coran - piled up and sleeping in the lounge. 

She grabbed a blanket, laid down near Pidge and fell asleep almost instantly.

###### 

„The waiting is killing me“ Lance said and sat down on the chair near Keith’s bed again. 

„I know. It’s killing us as well“ Hunk said with a small smile and rubbed Lance’s back. 

„Though I know what you mean“ he added. 

Keith had been released by the pods two days ago, but just like Coran had predicted, he was still sleeping an hooked up to fluids and nutrients. 

His body was fully healed - though the scars that now littered him stood out against the still pale skin.

„What if.. I lost him? Because I chickened out again when he last visited and I didn’t ask him to stay like I planned? We were just getting closer, but now…“ Lance whispered and fought to hold back his tears. 

He gently took one of Keith’s hands in his hand. 

„It will be okay, Lance. We just have to have a little faith“ Hunk said. 

„Yeah. I know. Thank-“ Lance said, but suddenly, he froze. 

„Lance?“ Hunk asked, worried. 

„Keith?“ Lance asked instead. 

He had felt Keith’s hand barely squeeze his. 

„Keith? You waking up?“ Lance said with hope in his voice. 

Keith’s hand twitched again, and this time, he let out a silent groan. 

_Why did he wake up again? He was sure that after that last beating, or session as they liked to call it, he would close his eyes forever._

_He regretted nothing at that point, nothing except not being able to say goodbye to the people he loved._

„Hey, it’s okay, you’re at the Castle, you’re here with us. It’s Lance and Hunk“ Lance said softly. 

Keith slowly opened his eyes. They were unfocused and he only managed to open them enough to peek at two persons standing near his bed.

_He can’t take anymore. He can’t._

_He didn’t want to admit it, not to them and not to himself, but he was breaking - and he just wanted for the pain to stop._

_But the pain always came when he woke up._

_It was as if it had become the only constant in this place._

His body immediately tensed. He retracted his hand from Lance’s, curled up into a ball and scooted as far away from them as he could, nearly falling down from… the bed he way laying on? 

„What“ he croaked hoarsely, and panic was rising in him. 

_What was this? They have never allowed him any comfort. They rarely even unchained him from hanging from his wrists in his cage when they thought that he wasn’t entertaining enough at that evening._

And he had always woken up in his cage after he blacked out - what were they going to do to him this time?

_Another whipping? Another beating? Another electrocution? Another round of them testing their knives on his skin? Another set of strangles and near suffocation? Another day of glowing hot metal dragged all over him? Another day where they would test at which point his skin would break with the force of water?_

_Each day it was something different. Each day there was another way they would find to injure and torture him with._

_He had lost count of the days in their capture after a week. Time became less important, because he was sure that he would run out of his own time soon if it continued like this._

„Keith, it’s us“ Hunk tried calmly at seeing Keith’s reaction. 

Keith pressed his eyes close and hid his face behind his fists.

_He just wanted it to stop. He couldn’t bear the screams anymore - neither his own or those of the others that were all here because of the same reason: They were part Galra._

_Only part Galran, which made them a shame for the fully blooded ones._

_And the most gruesome way of entertainment._

He can’t fall for it. He can’t let them see that he cares. He can’t let them in. 

_„Just look at it. What a shame for our race. Half-galran? I’d rather call it dirtied blood“ one of the Galrans that went by his cage hissed._

_The viewers were always allowed to have a peak at all of them before the entertainment for them began._

_„Just wait for the show tonight. You’ll love it“ another Galran said to them as they went on._

_„Yes, I’ve heard that after the torture of the day they let some lucky viewers have their fun with hurting them, too“ the fist one snickered._

„Keith… please“ someone said, and Keith tensed even more. 

_„Look at him! Once a Paladin of Voltron and fighting against the most glorious Empire in history. Now, merely **the fallen hero** “ the commentator announced him every time when his cage was rolled up at the stage for his slot in their show._

_He hated every second of it. He was proud of who he was - but every session managed to tamp that feeling down._

„Keith. Please come back to me. It’s over, you’re not there anymore“ the person near him pleaded again.

He recognized the voice. 

_„Stay down. Try that again and you’ll be the main event tonight. And trust me - you don’t want that“ the man that had locked him in a cage threatened him with._

_„Let me go! Who are you?!“ Keith shouted at the man that had knocked him out during his mission with a fellow Blade._

_„You’ll learn how to shut up in due time. And to answer your second question: I’m your worst nightmare“ the man chuckled._

_At that night, Keith had learned what it meant to be the main event._

„Keith, don’t freak out, okay? I am going to hold your right hand. I will stop if you don’t want it, okay? But let me try“ the voice soothed him. 

He didn’t react, he only waited for someone to grab his hand as the voice had said. 

The touch was gentle and caring - so much different from theirs. 

He let himself be touched, but he remained tense, not trusting this whole situation yet. 

_„Stop fighting. I thought after some days you’d have learned that. Looks like you’re going to be the main event the fourth time in a row now“ the man spat at him._

_„Filthy halfbreed. You’ll learn your place“ he added after kicking him and left Keith chained up to the bars that made the top of the cage he hadn’t left for five days now._

„Keith…“ the voice said, and at that, Keith almost had to sob. 

_„Halfbreed“_

_„Filth“_

_„Traitor“_

_„Weakling“_

They had never used his name. If they even knew it. 

„Keith, it’s okay. Can you please look at me? I promise, it will be fine“ the voice soothed again, cracking with sadness. 

He shouldn’t. He’d only get hurt again, he’d only be betrayed again. 

_„Don’t you think that’s a bit cruel to do to even them?“ a woman asked as she passed by Keith’s cage._

_„Oh darling, but that’s what they deserve“ her husband just replied._

_„They are halfbreeds or worse, this is the only thing they are worthy of“ he added._

_„You’re right. I’m sorry my love. Oh, look at that one!“ she said and pointed to another cage._

They loved that - suddenly they were all gentle to him, only to hurt him more as soon as he thought he could trust them.

But something in this person’s voice was different. Something in it was honest, and also hurt.

_„No one will be coming for you. You think anyone cares? The only thing you’re good for is a good show. So don’t hold your screams back tonight“ the man chuckled after letting Keith drop to the floor from his chains for the first time in two days._

And after all he had been through, he didn’t have the strength to uphold his walls anymore. 

Finally, Keith opened his eyes again, and when his gaze focused, he saw - 

He saw Lance. 

„Keith. It’s okay, we’re at the Castle. We go you out“ Lance whispered hoarsely while tears were streaming down his face. 

„L-Lance?“ Keith said and blinked a few times. His voice sounded rough and raspy. 

„Hey there buddy“ Hunk said, also crying.

„Hunk?“ Keith asked, baffled. 

„Yeah, hey“ he answered and slowly reached his hand out to very gently pat Keith’s shoulder. 

The black haired male tensed at first, but he soon relaxed into the touch. 

„We’re at the Castle?“ Keith said with a hoarse voice. He felt like there was a giant lump in his throat he had to speak around. 

„Yeah. We finally found you“ Lance sobbed now and gently squeezed his hand. 

„Oh“ Keith only said. 

Then, his whole form slowly relaxed, and he felt how sobs started to shake him. 

„We’re really at the Castle“ he whispered, still in disbelief. 

Keith’s eyes focused at that - and he finally registered his surroundings. 

No cage bars. No more pain. No more of them. 

But the white walls and pods that only existed in the infirmary of the Castle of Lions.

„Yeah, we are“ Hunk said. 

„I’ll go inform the others that you’re awake“ he sniffled, rubbed his eyes and nose and then turned to leave. 

„Can- Can I hug you?“ Lance then asked Keith, and he was filled with relief when the other shakily nodded. 

As soon as he felt Lance’s arms around him he instantly relaxed completely. He let himself be held and cried into Lanced chest while Lance was soothing him with gentle rubs on his back and soothing hums. 

„I thought I’d never get out of there“ Keith sobbed and slowly started to hug Lance back. 

„I thought I’d never see you again“ he then added and squeezed Lance even tighter, although it was still weak. 

„Shh, we’ve got you, and I’m never letting you leave my side again. I feel so bad for not having had the guts do ask you earlier, but please Keith - stay with us. Don’t go back with the Blades“ Lance silently sobbed. 

„I don’t want to be away from you even again“ Keith only answered and leaned more into Lance’s chest. 

„Keith!“ Shiro’s voice could suddenly be heard from the other side of the infirmary. 

Keith tensed at first, but relaxed again when he looked up and saw Shiro, Allura, Coran, Pidge and Hunk jog up to where he was sitting against Lance on a cot. 

„H-Hi“ he haltingly said as they stopped a few steps away from his bed as not to crowd him. 

„You’re awake“ Pidge beamed. 

„Yeah. I… uhm. Thanks. For saving me. I.. really thought I wouldn’t make it out of t-there. Thank you“ Keith said and tears rolled down his cheeks at the memory of what he had been through. 

„We’re just so sorry that it took us so long“ Allura said with a sad voice. 

Keith only nodded at her. 

It would be a long way until he would fully recover. But he was home, surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him - and this time, he would stay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading - I hope you liked it! :D
> 
> As always, I would be **really grateful for any comment** \- they are the only real measurement an author can get about how you really find their work!
> 
> Stay tuned for the next prompt!


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